Breakdown of Il veut resserrer son jean.
il
he
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
vouloir
to want
le jean
the jeans
resserrer
to tighten
Questions & Answers about Il veut resserrer son jean.
Why is jean singular here when we say "jeans" in English?
What is the difference between serrer and resserrer?
Serrer generally means to squeeze, grip, or tighten. Adding the prefix re- can mean doing the action again, but in the context of clothing, resserrer specifically means to take a garment in to make it tighter or narrower.
If he isn't doing the sewing himself, how would we say "He wants to have his jeans tightened"?
If we change that causative sentence to the passé composé ("He had his jeans tightened"), does the past participle of faire agree with the object?
No, and this is a crucial exception! When faire is followed by an infinitive to express having something done, its past participle fait is always invariable. Even if he were tightening a feminine plural object like his boots (ses bottes), it would remain completely unchanged: Il les a fait resserrer (never faites).
Learn Il veut resserrer son jean and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free